Rock Collecting Photo Gallery

Welcome! My name is Conrad and I have been rock collecting since 1964. If you
include artifacts and arrowheads, it would be since about 1958. My dad found 57 arrowheads in Sonoma
County, California near where he got out of the Air Force after WWII. He offered a dime each for each one after
that. A few of the neighborhood kids took him up on his offer, but I kept mine. Later, in the early 60's,
I began to collect bottles and coins in addition to rocks. You could trade and compare bottles and coins. You could even
put a dollar amount on them.

Pictures in Rock Patterns

Rocks were different. Most people who collect rocks, collect
"pretty" rocks. I looked for unusual looking rocks. Among the first I put into my collection, one
looked like a petrified potato, one like fossilized cement, and another one had an image of a duck. Only
half of the people I showed them to agreed with what I thought I saw in these unusual stones. Being
a sensitive person, I withdrew.

Having lost some of my coins and bottles (and selling some), I noticed my rocks stayed
with me. People bought my coins and bottles, but not my rocks. I think I sold my first one in 1969 as
a paperweight. It looked like a bird. I was offered a very good amount for one that looked like Babe
Ruth hitting a home run. You could make out the number "3" on the Babe's chest, not his back. But
I have yet to retrieve it. You see, from 1969 to now, I have moved several times in my life, until
1979 when I began to either remodel old houses for others, or buy my own and remodel them. Several
times between acts I would move, and as my collection got bigger, it was harder to lug around. So I
ditched my prized pieces of minerals in rivers and creeks around the San Francisco Bay Area. I made
maps where I left them. Many times I tried to get it together to collect them and make a museum
or a display, but the best way I've found to share them with other rock collectors is this website.

Retrieving the rocks has been a chapter in itself. Some were in state parks, and I was
told not to take stones from there. I was careful also to not put stones where they stood out from the
surrounding stones. Some I found 30 feet downstream, others 100. Never together, as buried, always
single. And along the way I found others. Some I haven't found could be more than a foot below the
riverbed. Now we're talking excavation equipment. As you age, your mind and disc drive capacity expands
and you find new things that you wouldn't have long ago. My ability to spot things and visions is as
good as ever. I now wear reading glasses. After selling my last house, I had a window of opportunity
to pull this off. I thought, "it's now or never." So now I've retrieved enough of my rocks
to show my collection in public. You can look at the images in the rocks and see if you agree with my
descriptions, or in some areas I will ask for help. Some faces I don't recognize as resembling anyone,
and sometimes you may see different things in the rocks than I did. Send me your opinions! Also,
we will decide if to leave it online or open a museum or display where you can see them in person. These
rocks are all still exactly how I found 'em. The images have not been altered in any way. This is
my collection of unusual Rocks as Nature Made Them.